Telecommunications services activation

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to computing devices and systems, as well as software, computer programs, applications, and interfaces, and more particularly, to systems, devices and methods to activate telecommunications services. For example, a method may include configuring configuration data for a user account, the configuration data specifying a subset of telecommunications services for one or more user accounts, presenting in an interface an identifier for accessing the subset of telecommunications services, receiving data representing a request to activate the subset of telecommunications services associated with the identifier, the data representing the request including a user identification number, and activating the user account to include the subset of the telecommunications services, wherein configuring the configuration data occurs prior to presenting the identifier.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to telecommunicationsservices, and more particularly, to interfaces, systems, devices andmethods to facilitate, for example, real-time activation oftelecommunications services, such as call forwarding, routing, virtualPBX, message handling, and service management, among others.

BACKGROUND

Conventional techniques for activating telecommunications servicestypically require users to go through a multiple-stage process. Even fora user who is evaluating a telecommunications service, the user istypically required to experience a multiple-stage process and delaysbetween stages before being able to evaluate a telecommunicationsservice to decide whether to use the telecommunications service. Forexample, a user is typically asked, in one stage, to provide contactinformation (e.g., name, address, or other contact information). In thealternative or in another stage, a user is typically asked to providebilling information (e.g., a credit card number). After contact andbilling information has been provided, if required, activating atelecommunications service is itself a multiple-stage process.

FIG. 1 depicts an interface 100 typically used in traditionaltelecommunications service activation techniques. In a typicaltelecommunications service activation process, a window 102 is presentedto a user in response to a request (not shown) to activate atelecommunications service. Window 102 includes an activation option(“Next”) 104, which can be a link. As FIG. 1 shows, window 102transitions to window 112 when the user selects activation option 104.The user then is presented with window (“Provisioning Panel”) 112 toprovide data to a conventional backend system 115 to provision atelecommunications service. Conventional backend system 115 operates toprovision, configure and/or activate telecommunications services, suchas a virtual PBX. The user typically experiences a transition back towindow 102 if the user desires to review information regarding thetelecommunications service. In some conventional backend systems, theuser can also experience a delay before being able to proceed to thenext step of an activation process, which typically resumes with window102. To configure the telecommunications service, a user usually isrequired to transition from either window 102 or 112, by choosing eitherselection (“Next”) 104 or selection (“Next”) 106, respectively. Again,the user traditionally experiences another transition to window(“Configuration Panel”) 122 to interact with conventional backend system115 to configure the telecommunications service. Yet again, a userencounters further delays when the user transitions back to window 102,should, for example, the user desires to review information regardingthe selected telecommunications service. The back-and-forth activationprocess continues between window 102 or 122 and window (“ActivationPanel”) 132 to activate the telecommunications service. By requiring theuser to interact with two or more windows 102, 112, 122, and 132, themultiple-stage, back-and-forth process interrupts the user experienceduring activation. Thus, a user experiences numerous transitions in theprocess of procuring telecommunications services. It is also expectedthat, after each stage, some users decide not to continue with therelatively cumbersome activation process, resulting in the loss ofpotential customers or customers.

Thus, a solution is needed to provide a method and a system foractivating telecommunications services, without the limitations ofconventional techniques.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention and its various embodiments are more fully appreciated inconnection with the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of typical conventionaltelecommunications service activation techniques;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary telecommunications service providersystem, according to at least one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary interface to activatetelecommunications services, according to at least one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 3B illustrates another exemplary interface to activatetelecommunications services, according to at least one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 3C illustrates yet another exemplary interface to activatetelecommunications services, according to at least one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 3D illustrates further another interface to activatetelecommunications services, according to at least one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 4A illustrates a block diagram of an example of atelecommunications service provider system, according to variousembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4B illustrates a block diagram of another example of atelecommunications service provider system, according to variousembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 5A is a flow diagram depicting an example of a method foractivating telecommunications services, according to at least oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5B is a flow diagram depicting an example of another method foractivating telecommunications services, according to at least oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5C is a flow diagram depicting an example of a method for providingtelecommunications services, according to various embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a telecommunications service provider system andits components, according to at least one embodiment of the invention;and

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary computer system suitable for activatingtelecommunications services, according to at least one embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary telecommunications service providersystem, according to at least some embodiments of the invention.According to the example shown in diagram 200, telecommunicationsservice provider (“TSP”) system 220 can include a service manager 230and a repository 240. Service manager 230 can be configured to receivedata representing a request to activate telecommunications services. Thedata can include user identification information, such as user ID 218 aor user ID 218 b, either of which can be sufficient to activate thetelecommunications services, according to various embodiments. TSPsystem 220 can be configured to receive user IDs 218 a and 218 b via acommunications network 219 from an interface 210 or any communicationsdevice, such as a phone 260. Repository 240 can be configured to storedata representing configuration data 244 for configuring thetelecommunications services. In at least some embodiments, configurationdata 244 can be pre-configured to provide a discrete set oftelecommunications services that, for example, can be activated byservice manager 230 using user IDs 218 a or 218 b, without requiringother information. Configuration data 244 can include an identifier 255for accessing the telecommunications services, identifier 255 beingassociated with other configuration data 244 either prior to, or after,TSP system 220 receives the data representing the request to activatethe telecommunications services.

In at least one embodiment, TSP system 220 can be configured to generatesignals for transmission to phone 260 to confirm successful activationof the telecommunications services. For example, confirmation message250 can include signals that cause phone 260 to ring, among otherthings, thereby confirming that a call to identifier 255 can be routedto a communications device associated with user IDs 218 a or 218 b.Thus, identifier 255 can specify a main telephone number for accessing asubset of telecommunications services for a private branch exchange(“PBX”) service. User IDs 218 a and 218 b then can represent a telephonenumber for phone 260 that is reachable via identifier 255 as anextension of the PBX service, according to at least some embodiments.Note that user IDs 218 a and 218 b can represent the same useridentification number, but indicate that the user identification numbermay have been obtained by different techniques (e.g., by way interface210 or by way of call data). As used herein, the term “identifier” canrefer, at least in some embodiments, to a telephone number (e.g., atoll-free telephone number, such as a main telephone line) for accessingtelecommunications services. An identifier can also be an email address,or any other symbol (or set of symbols) that represents a common contactidentifier for a group of contact identifiers, such as a group ofextension numbers of a PBX. Prior to activation, an identifier can beassociated with a subset of telecommunications services of TSP system220 that are yet to be provisioned and activated. As used herein, theterm “user identification number” (e.g., user ID) can refer, at least insome embodiments, to a contact identifier that can be associated withone contact identifier (e.g., one extension number) in a group ofcontact identifiers (e.g., a group of extension numbers), such as atelephone number for phone 260. A “user identification number” can alsobe a facsimile number for a fax machine (not shown), an email address ofan email account (not shown), a voicemail address, or any other address.

In at least some embodiments, TSP system 220 can generate interface 210to present a user input, which can be a field 212 configured to acceptdata, such as user identification information (e.g., such as a useridentification number, which can be represented as user ID 218 a).Optionally, TSP system 220 can generate a representation 211 of anidentifier to present in interface 210. The identifier, in someinstances, can be a toll-free number as a main telephone line associatedwith the subset of telecommunications under activation. Interface 210can be accessible as a web page at a particular URL. In at least oneembodiment, TSP system 220 can present field 212 simultaneous (orsubstantially simultaneous) to the presentation of representation 211 ofthe identifier. In at least one embodiment, TSP system 220 can configureconfiguration data 244 (or a portion thereof) prior to presenting eitherfield 212 or representation 211 of an identifier, or both. As such,little or a negligible amount of information can be sufficient toprovision a subset of telecommunications services, which can be definedby the pre-configured portions of configuration data 244. Thus, thesubset of telecommunications services can operate as a default set ofservices, thereby reducing or eliminating a need for a user to performan initial and/or a complicated configuration of telecommunicationsservices. Further, TSP system 220 can maintain the presentation ofinterface 210 during the activation of the subset of telecommunicationsservices, without transitioning to other interfaces. In view of theforegoing, discrete set of telecommunications services can beprovisioned and activated without transitioning away from interface 210.In accordance with various embodiments, this can simplify theprocurement of telecommunications services that constitute, for example,a virtual PBX.

In at least some embodiments, TSP system 220 can access call dataassociated with a request call to TSP system 220. A “request call” canrefer, at least in some embodiments, to call originating at acommunication device (e.g., phone 260) and connecting with TSP system220 to provision and/or activate a subset of telecommunicationsservices. “Call data” can refer, at least in some embodiments, tosupplemental data that can accompany a communication, such as a phonecall. Examples of call data include the data provided as automaticnumber identification (“ANI”) data, calling name (“CNAM”) data, dialednumber identification service (“DNIS”) data, or any other type oftelephony or communication-related data, including user-entered data, orany combination thereof. TSP system 220 can access call data to extracta user identification number, such as user ID 218 b, from the call data,and can use the user identification number to sufficiently provision andactivate telecommunications services, according to embodiments of theinvention. Consider an example in which phone 260 generates a call to,for example, an identifier. Using call data, TSP system 220 candetermine whether the call is to an unprovisioned identifier (e.g., auser identification number is yet to be associated with an identifier),thereby identifying whether the call is a request to procuretelecommunications services.

In at least some embodiments, TSP system 220 can test and validatesuccessful activation of the subset of telecommunications services, andthen can confirm the validation by, for example, generating a callincluding a confirmation message 250 to phone 260. If the useridentification number is entered into interface 210, then TSP system 220can generate a call to the user identification number to confirmactivation of the subset of telecommunications services. In someinstances, the call including confirmation message 250 to the useridentification number can be generated, and received by phone 260,substantially simultaneous to the presentation of either field 212 orrepresentation 211 of the identifier in interface 210. If the useridentification number was extracted from call data accompanying a callfrom phone 260 to TSP system 220, then confirmation message 250 can alsoinclude an automated-voice notification that the activation has beencomplete. The validation call can connect to phone 260 in a “callwaiting” state (if available), should the user be connected to TSPsystem 220 during the validating call. Thus, a prospective user of TSPsystem 220 can receive immediate (or nearly immediate) feedback as towhether its telecommunications services have been provisioned andactivated for use.

In the example shown, service manager 230 can include one or more of thefollowing: a provisioning manager 232, an activation manager 234, and atest/validation manager 236. Provisioning manager 232 can operate toconfigure configuration data 244 to provide a subset oftelecommunications services in association with, for example, a useraccount 242. While user account 242 can be associated with its ownidentifier (e.g., a user account ID), which is not shown, user account242 can include data representing user identification information (e.g.,user IDs 218 a and 218 b), data representing identifier 255, and datarepresenting an association between the user identification informationand data representing identifier 255. Note that while provisioningmanager 232 can operate to configure configuration data 244 prior toreceiving a request to provision a set of default services, as anexample, provisioning manager 232 can operate to configure configurationdata 244 after receiving the request.

To provision telecommunications services once a request has been made,provisioning manager 232 can determine either a user ID 218 c or anidentifier 255, or both, and form an association 243 with which toactivate telecommunications services. In some instances, provisioningmanager 232 can determine both user ID 218 c and an identifier 255, andconfigure user account 242 to include them. For example, user ID 218 ccan be received as user ID 218 a via interface 210, or it can bereceived as user ID 218 b via call data from a call from phone 260. Inat least one instance, identifier 255 can be selected when a userselects representation 211 of an identifier from a pool of identifiers.Provisioning manager 232 can determine the selected identifier and storeit in user account 242, and can remove the selected identifier from thepool of identifiers so that it can no longer be provisioned. In at leastone other instance, identifier 255 can be generated without feedbackfrom the user (e.g., as a pre-determined identifier that can bepre-selected or randomly determined), with provisioning manager 232storing the pre-determined identifier in user account 242 as identifier255. In this case, either ID 218 a or ID 218 b can be sufficient forprovisioning, configuring and activating telecommunications services,according to the various embodiments. Thus, a user need not enter aselection for an identifier or other information.

Activation manager 234 can be configured to activate user account 242once it has been provisioned with configuration data defining a subsetof telecommunications services. Thereafter, identifier 255 can be usedto access the activated subset of telecommunications services. Forexample, if identifier 255 is a telephone number, then the telephonenumber can be a main line that can provide access to thetelecommunications services defined by, for example, user account 242.In some embodiments, test/validation manager 236 can optionally be usedto validate successful provisioning and activation of the subset oftelecommunications services. For example, to validate a telephone numberprovided as user ID 218 a, test/validation manager 236 can be configuredto make a call to the telephone number associated with phone 260. Inother examples, user ID 218 a can be an email address. Thus,test/validation manager 236 can be used to send an email message to theemail address to validate that the email address can be implemented asan extension.

According to at least some embodiments, a single submission of data(e.g., user ID 218 a) to TSP system 220 can enable a user to acquire anaccount to use telecommunications services. There may not be a need forthe user to provide other data (e.g., contacting, billing,configuration, or other information) to activate telecommunicationsservices. After user account 242 is activated, then thetelecommunications services can be used. That is, a user can start usingthe identifier (e.g., a toll-free telephone number) associated with asubset telecommunications services as a common contacting identifier 255(or address) nearly instantaneously, so that third parties canimmediately access the associated telecommunications services (e.g., theuser's customers can contact the user at an extension reachable viaidentifier 255). For example, if the subset of service includes acall-forwarding service, a call made to the toll-free telephone number(i.e., identifier 255) can be forwarded to a telephone number, such asuser ID 218 a.

According to various embodiments, examples of interface 210 includephysical interfaces (e.g., a telephone or a display on the telephone)and virtual interfaces (e.g., a web page, panel, window, display,palette, tab, screen, or the like). In some embodiments, a user canprovide additional data in a single submission to request activation oftelecommunications services. Further, TSP system 220 can include one ormore servers, software applications, application programmable interfaces(“APIs”), logic (e.g., software or electrical/hardware logic), or anycombination thereof. For example, service manager 230 can include aprovisioning manager 232, an activation manager 234, a test/validationmanager 236, and other components, such as a configuration manager (notshown), any of which can be implemented in hardware, software, or anycombination thereof.

According to various embodiments, a subset of telecommunicationsservices can be associated with configuration data that represents anycombination of telecommunications services, such as call forwarding,call routing, facsimile, email, text messaging, voice messaging (i.e.,voicemail), extensions, private branch exchange (“PBX”) services, andthe like. For example, a subset of telecommunications services caninclude a configuration for a call-forwarding service. Another subset oftelecommunications services can include a configuration for a hosted orvirtual PBX service. Thus, a default configuration for a subset oftelecommunications services can be stored in repository 240 as, forexample, configuration data 244.

As used herein, the term “single submission,” such as single submissionof data, at least in one embodiment, can refer to sending, providing, ortransmitting sufficient data to activate or request telecommunicationsservices from an interface without requiring an interface transition toprovide additional data to request the same telecommunications services.Examples of single submissions of data can include one or more of thefollowing: making a telephone call, clicking a button on a web page(e.g., “submit,” “send,” or “activate” button, or the like), andinitiating data transmission using, for example, a single action. Asused herein, the term “provisioning,” at least in one embodiment, canrefer to providing telecommunications services to a user or customer,including transmission of voice, data, or both to a telephone number,facsimile number, email address, voicemail address, the like, or anycombination thereof. As used herein, the term “telephone,” can refer toany telephone or communications device using any type of telephony orcommunications technology, such as a telephone using voice over internetprotocol technology (“VoIP”), cellular phone technology (e.g., GlobalSystem for Mobile communication (“GSM”), Time-Division Multiple Access(“TDMA”), or Code-Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”)), or any othertechnology, or any telephone connected to a communications network 219,which can be a public switched telephone network (“PSTN”) network, awireless network, the Internet, a WLAN, LAN, or any other communicationsnetwork. As used herein, the term “configuring,” at least in oneembodiment, can refer to modifying data for a user account to configureone or more telecommunications services. As used herein, the term“activating,” at least in one embodiment, can refer to enabling a useraccount and its data (e.g., configuration data) to providetelecommunications services. In some embodiments, the above-describedsystem, components, elements, and processes can be varied in number,structure, function, configuration, implementation, or other aspects andare not limited to those shown and described.

FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary interface to activatetelecommunications services, according to at least one embodiment of theinvention. Here, interface 310 a includes a telephone number (e.g.,toll-free number 311) used as an identifier to access at least a subsetof telecommunications services. To request activation, a user enters ina field 312 another telephone number, which, for example, can be used asa user identification number (user ID 218 a, FIG. 2). Button 317 can beused to submit data (i.e., telephone numbers 311 and 312) to requestactivation. In some embodiments, telecommunications services can beactivated for a limited period (e.g., 24 hours), to provide, forexample, a period of time during which one can evaluate thetelecommunications services. To maintain the activated services beyondthe limited period, a user can, for example, use another interface (notshown) to provide additional data, such as billing information.

FIG. 3B illustrates another exemplary interface to activatetelecommunications services, according to at least one embodiment of theinvention. Here, interface 310 b, in addition to the elements shown ininterface 310 a (FIG. 3A), can include a (“CALL”) button 316 forinitiating a test to confirm activation. For example, button 316 cangenerate a call (e.g., as a validation call) to a phone number providedin field 312. As another example, after entering a telephone number intofield 312, a user can select CALL button 316 to generate a call from TSPsystem 220 (FIG. 2) associated with number 311 to the telephone numberentered into field 312 to optionally check the call path to thetelephone number entered into field 312. Button 317 can be used tosubmit data (i.e., telephone numbers 311 and 312) to request activation.

FIG. 3C illustrates yet another exemplary interface to activatetelecommunications services, according to at least one embodiment of theinvention. Here, interface 310 c, in addition to the elements shown ininterface 310 a (FIG. 3A), shows a field 313 for entering an emailaddress. An email address can be used to provide, for example, voice toemail service, facsimile to email service, or other services usingemail.

FIG. 3D illustrates another interface to activate telecommunicationsservices, according to at least one embodiment of the invention. Here,interface 310 d includes a default identifier 311 d. If a user desiresto use another identifier to access telecommunications services, theuser can select one using field 312 d, which is optional. In someexamples, the telecommunications services can be provided with anauto-receptionist greeting (i.e., a computer-generated greeting). Thus,field 313 d allows a user to enter a company name for use in anauto-receptionist greeting. In at least some embodiments, a subset oftelecommunications services can include virtual or hosted PBX serviceswith a default configuration of, for example, up to three extensions.For instance, one or more extensions (e.g., extension “1”) can beconfigured with two or more telephone numbers by entering the telephonenumbers in fields 314 d and 315 d. If more than one telephone number isentered, configuration data can include one or more rules to select atelephone number for use with extension “1” in different situations. Forexample, a TSP system can select the number entered in field 315 d as analternate number if the number entered in field 314 d is in use. Toconfigure extension “2,” a user can enter a phone number or emailaddress (e.g., to use voice to email services) in field 316 d. Toconfigure extension “3,” a user can enter a facsimile (“fax”) number oremail address (e.g., to use fax to email services) in field 317 d. Insome embodiments, different user contact addresses (e.g., voice-messagebox, text-messaging address, and/or other numbers of address) can beentered in one or more fields 314 d-317 d or fields for adding otherextensions (not shown). In at least some embodiments, button 318 d canbe configured to send a single submission of data (i.e., data gatheredfrom one or more of fields 311 d to 317 d) to request activation.

In at least one embodiment, when a communications device, such as phone260 (FIG. 2), is used to provision telecommunications services,additional call data (i.e., “other call data”) can be used to providefor functionality similarly described and provided for by interface 310d. For example, a telephone making a request call can provide a textstring along with a user identification number. A text string canconstitute the name of the user calling the identifier 311 d, where thetext string can be extracted from data provided as calling name (“CNAM”)data. Then, the TSP system can associate the text string with a subsetof telecommunications services. In some embodiments, the TSP system canconvert a text string to sound data representing a name, and then caninsert the sound data into data representing a voicemail greetingassociated with the identifier. Thus, a TSP system can automaticallyprovide for a default personalized voicemail greeting based on thecalling name data, according to some embodiments.

As used herein, the term “extension,” at least in one embodiment, canrefer to a branch from a group of two, or more branches associated witha main telephone number, such as used in a PBX service (virtual orotherwise). As illustrated in interface 310 d, the main telephone numbercan be identifier 311 d or 312 d. Three extensions (i.e., branches) areincluded in the services configuration shown in FIG. 3D. For example, acaller to a telephone number (e.g., identifier 311 d or 312 d) can bedirected to select “1” (i.e., extension “1”) to reach a salesdepartment, select “2” (i.e., extension “2”) to leave a voicemail (i.e.,voice message recording), or select “3” (i.e., extension “3”) to connectto a facsimile machine. In at least one embodiment, a user can modifyconfiguration data to add, remove, or change extensions, or any otherservice or feature, before or after activation of the telecommunicationsservices. In some embodiments, the above-described interfaces, system,components, extensions, elements, and processes can be varied in number,function, structure, configuration, implementation, or any other aspect,and, thereby, are not limited to those shown and described.

FIG. 4A illustrates a block diagram for an example of atelecommunications service provider system, according to variousembodiments of the invention. As shown, telecommunications serviceprovider (“TSP”) system 400 a can be accessed using interface 410 a, andcan include communication interfaces 420 and 446, interface logic 422,provisioning manager 432, configuration manager 433, activation manager434, test/validation manager 436, database 438, and database 440. In atleast some embodiments, interface 410 a can be associated with atelecommunications services identifier (“TSI”), as transmitted via path416. The term “telecommunications services identifier,” or “TSI,” canrefer, at least in one embodiment, to an “identifier,” as describedabove (e.g., in FIGS. 2 and 3A-3D). A TSI can be used as a maintelephone line to access a package or subset of telecommunicationsservices. In some embodiments, a TSI can be presented, as shown ininterface 410 a. In other embodiments, a TSI need not be presented.

A user can interact with interface 410 a to enter a user identificationnumber (e.g., a “user ID”), which can also be referred to as a customertelephone number (“CTN”), address, or alternate address, which, forexample, can be a number, email address, or any identifier foridentifying a source or a destination of a communication. A CTN can besubmitted via path 418 a in association with a request for activation oftelecommunications services. Communication interface 420 can beconfigured to pass the request to interface logic 422. In someinstances, communication interface 420 can implemented as a server orweb server for providing an interface that can implement, for example,web-related protocols. Interface logic 422 can be configured tointerface provisioning manager 432, configuration manager 433, andactivation manager substantially in parallel or substantially in series(two or more in series). Further, interface logic 422 and can beimplemented as one or more applications, one or more applicationprogrammable interfaces (“APIs”), in hardware, or any combinationthereof.

To illustrate the operation of TSP system 400 a, consider the followingexample. A request for activation can be handled by provisioning manager432, for example, by creating and storing a user account 442 in database440. User account 442 can include a binding of a CTN (e.g.,1-650-555-9876) to a TSI (e.g., 1-888-555-1200), which in turn can beassociated via an association 443 with a set of telecommunicationsservices being defined by configuration data 444. Configuration data 444for a subset of telecommunications services can include different typesof services (e.g., call extensions, facsimile, email, voicemail, and thelike), any number of services in each type (e.g., four call extensions,an email box, and a facsimile), any combination of service types, and/orone or more rules to, for example, govern how services are rendered(e.g., for extension “1”, if a call is not answered by the third ring,send the caller to a voicemail box). Configuration manager 433 can beused to create services configuration data 444. In some embodiments,configuration data 444 can be pre-defined (i.e., defined before a userinitiates an activation request). Configuration manager 433 can also beused to add, remove, or change telecommunications services aftertelecommunications services have been initially activated. Database 438can include automatic number identification (“ANI”) data, calling name(“CNAM”) data, dialed number identification service (“DNIS”) data, orany other data or combination thereof. Database 438 (or portionsthereof) can be located external to TSP system 400 a. Database 438 canbe accessed by provisioning manager 432, configuration manager 433,activation manager 434, or other system components to access or look upadditional data associated with a CTN. For example, the name of a callercan be looked up using a telephone number (e.g., a CTN). Other call data(e.g., caller id or ANI data) can be determined using a telephone number(e.g., a CTN).

In some embodiments, when an account is provisioned and configured(e.g., configured in accordance with default configuration data), theaccount and the telecommunications services associated with the accountcan be activated. To activate an account, activation manager 434 can,for example, mark an “activated” flag or field in the user account, orin configuration data 444 thereof, to indicate that the user account andits telecommunications services have been activated (e.g., marking“Activated=yes” as shown in configuration data 444). In someembodiments, activating an account can be done in real-time orinstantaneous, as least as is perceptible to a user. For example, fromthe time a CTN is submitted to a user account is activated, anactivation delay of a few seconds to a fraction of a second can elapse,especially when there is, for example, minimum network traffic. In othersituations, the activation delay can be in minutes or longer. In otherembodiments, a user account may not be activated until a CTN isvalidated. For example, a CTN can be called to cause activation (e.g.,requesting a user to press a specific button to activate) or to ensurethat the CTN is a functioning telephone number. In yet otherembodiments, activation can be delayed by a period to time, such as 24hours. In some embodiments, after a user account has been activated, aconfirmation message 450 can be generated and communicated to a user.Confirmation message 450 can be a visual message (e.g., a text or emailmessage), audio message (e.g., a voice message), or a combinationthereof.

In some embodiments, test/validation manager 436 can be used to test orvalidate a CTN or to confirm activation. For example, to testactivation, test/validation manager 436 can interact with communicationinterface (e.g., a call handler) 446 to call a TSI associated with theCTN, which, in turn, can cause TSP system 400 a to generate a call tothe CTN after a successful activation. Communication interface 446 candetect whether the TSI is associated with telecommunications servicesprovided by the TSP system 400 a. If so, TSP system 400 a can look upthe associated CTN in database 440, retrieve information relevant touser account 442 via path 448, and route the call to the CTN, which isreceived at telephone 460. Caller data, such as caller-ID data, of theTSI can be sent to telephone 460.

The above-described components or elements are conceptual components orelements, which can be implemented using software, hardware, or anycombination thereof. Some components or elements can be representativesof more than one unit or combined in any combination. In someembodiments, the above-described interfaces, system, components,elements, and processes can be varied in number, function, structure,configuration, implementation, or other aspects and are not limited tothose shown and described.

FIG. 4B illustrates a block diagram for another example of atelecommunications service provider system, according to variousembodiments of the invention. As shown, TSP system 400 b can provide thesame structure and/or function as TSP system 400 a (FIG. 4A), butcommunication interface 421 (e.g., call handler) can be configured tointeract with a telephone 410 b. Telephone 410 b can be used to call anavailable TSI (i.e., available for activation) via path 418 b. A CTN canbe extracted by communication interface 421 from call data, such ascaller-ID and ANI-related data. If a CTN or call data fails to transmitfrom telephone 410 b, communication interface 421 can presentinstructions to a caller to hang up and call again using a specificdialing sequent (e.g., press “*67” before dialing the TSI) so that a CTNcan be transmitted to, and extracted by, communication interface 421.Communication interface 421 then can pass the extracted CTN and thecalled TSI to interface logic 422 as a request to activatetelecommunications services. In some embodiments, interface logic 422can access database 438 (e.g., accessing CNAM data) to look up acaller's name, which can be used to provide enhanced services (e.g.,using the caller's name in subsequent interactive voice responses(“IVR”) to greet the caller, such as in a voicemail greeting). Therequest for activation can continue to be processed with other elementsthat are described in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A is a flow diagram depicting an example of a method foractivating telecommunications services, according to at least oneembodiment of the invention. Here, flow 500 begins with a serverpresenting an interface (e.g., a user interface) at 502, the interfacepresenting a TSI. For example, the TSI can be presented on a web page. Arequest for activation can be transmitted (e.g., in a single datasubmission) at 504, which includes a CTN and other optional data, suchas another address (e.g., telephone number, email address, facsimilenumber, or the like). A server (e.g., interface logic 422, FIG. 4A) canbe configured to receive the data transmission at 506. At 508, aprovisioning manager (e.g., provisioning manager 432 of FIG. 4A)provisions, as described above, the TSI in a user account. At 510, aconfiguration manager configures telecommunications services associatedwith the TSI, or a default, pre-configured services configuration can beconfigured or used. Here, flow 500 illustrates that a user account canbe validated, at 512, before activation. For example, a test/validationmanager (e.g., test/validation manager 436 of FIG. 4A) can be used tovalidate the CTN as described above. If the user account associated withthe CTN is not valid, at 514, the provisioning of the TSI at 508 can bereversed (e.g., by disassociating the user account from the CTN, andmarking the TSI as available for subsequent activation) at 516. At 518,a message notifying that the user account or CTN is invalid can begenerated or communicated to a user. The message can be a voice messageor a text message. If the user account related to the CTN is determinedto be valid at 514, the user account can be activated at 520. At 522, aconfirmation message can be generated and communicated to a user. Again,the message can be an audio or visual message. If a test call isrequested at 524, a call can be made to the TSI at 526 to test whetherthe call is properly routed to the CTN. The call can be handled asdescribed in FIG. 5C below. In some embodiments, the above-describedflow, components, elements, and acts can be varied in number, function,structure, configuration, implementation, or other aspects and are notlimited to those shown and described.

FIG. 5B is a flow diagram depicting an example of another method foractivating telecommunications services, according to at least oneembodiment of the invention. Here, flow 530 begins at 532, with a callbeing placed from a telephone to a TSI in an attempt to activatetelecommunications services associated with the TSI. If the TSI is notavailable for activation at 534, the call can be handled as anon-activated call at 536, as described in FIG. 5C below. If the TSI isavailable for activation at 534, a CTN can be extracted at 538 usingcaller-ID data, ANI-related data, or the like. If a CTN is not present,the caller can be instructed to call again. After a CTN is extracted, itcan be routed to a user account activation server/API (e.g., interfacelogic 422 of FIG. 4A) at 540. At 542, a provisioning manager (e.g.,provisioning manager 432 of FIG. 4A) can provision the TSI, and canassociate it with a user account. At 544, a configuration managerconfigures telecommunications services associated with the TSI, orprovides for a default, pre-configured configuration that can be used. Auser account can be validated at 546 before activation. For example, atest/validation manager (e.g., test/validation manager 436 of FIG. 4A)can be used to validate the CTN as described above. If the account andthe related CTN are not valid at 548, the provisioning of the TSI at 542can be reversed (e.g., by removing the account and marking the TSI asavailable for subsequent activation) at 550. At 552, a message notifyingthat the user account or CTN is invalid can be generated andcommunicated to a user. The message can be a voice message or textmessage (i.e., if the call-in telephone indicates that it has thecapability to display a text message). If the user account or its CTN isvalid at 548, the account can be activated at 554. At 556, aconfirmation message (voice or text) can generate and communicated to auser. In some embodiments, the above-described flow, components,elements, and acts can be varied in number, function, structure,configuration, implementation, or other aspects and are not limited tothose shown and described.

FIG. 5C is a flow diagram depicting an example of a method for providingtelecommunications services, according to various embodiments of theinvention. Here, flow 530 begins with a call to a TSI being received at572. If the TSI is not activated to receive calls at 574, the call canbe blocked at 576. If the TSI is activated to receive calls at 574, calldata (e.g., caller-ID, ANI, CNAM, or similar data) can be extracted orotherwise determined at 577. Here, the TSI is shown associated with avirtual or hosted PBX service having a number of extensions (e.g., 1 ton). At 578, an interactive voice response (“IVR”) or auto-receptionistcan be played, instructing the caller to select an extension to adesired destination. If a name associated with the call-in telephonenumber is found, it can be speech synthesized and used in the IVR topersonalize the IVR or in a voicemail box greeting. If extension 1 isselected at 580, extension 1 (e.g., facsimile) can be activated at 582.If extension 2 is selected at 584, extension 2 can be activated at 586.Extension 2, here, is illustrated with a voice messaging service (i.e.,the caller selects extension 2 to leave a voice message). A voicemessaging service, for example, can be configured to include screeningand/or barging-in capabilities. When a caller is leaving a voicemessage, the callee (i.e., at the TSI) can, at 588, screen the voicemessage as it is being recorded. If the callee desires, at 590, thecallee can barge in (i.e., connect to the caller and start a liveconversation) at 594. If extension 3 is selected at 592, extension 3 canbe activated at 594, for example, to answer the call and start a liveconversation. If extension “n” is selected at 596, extension “n” can beactivated at 598, and can be configured as any telecommunicationsservice. If no extension is selected, the IVR can be replayed for alimited number of times (e.g., once) before the call is terminated atthe TSI.

Here, telecommunications services, such as extensions 1 to n, can beoffered at activation using initial (or default) service configurationdata (e.g., as shown in interface 310 d of FIG. 3D). In someembodiments, extensions 1 to n, or any number of extensions can beconfigured (not shown) by a user after activation. For example, a usercan access a TSP system to remove an extension, add an extension, modifyan extension, such as extension 2 to provide the above-describedservices (i.e., voice messaging with screening and barging-incapabilities). In some embodiments, a voicemail box can be configured toforward a voice massage to an email box as an audio message orconverted-text message. In other embodiments, a user can configure toreceive a notification when a new voice message has been recorded. Othertelecommunications services can be configured and reconfigured toimplement various PBX-related services (e.g., call-forwarding service oremail services, such as facsimile-to-email or voice-to-email), and canalso be added, removed, or modified at least in one embodiment. Forexample, a call-forwarding service (i.e., a call to the TSI is forwardedto the user identification number) can be configured to also forwardcaller data (i.e., caller-ID data) received at the TSI to the useridentification number. In some embodiments, the above-described flow,components, elements, services, and acts can be varied in number,function, structure, configuration, implementation, or other aspects andare not limited to those shown and described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a telecommunications service provider system andits components, according to at least one embodiment of the invention.Telecommunications services provided by TSP system 620 can be activated,accessed, or both using any of the illustrated endpoints: VoIP/Internetendpoints 610-614, facsimile endpoints 640, PSTN endpoints 642,enterprise PBX endpoints 644-646, cellular endpoints 648, and the like.Any of these endpoints can be configured to operate as a caller device,callee device, or both.

TSP system 620 can include any number and any combination of thefollowing: web server 630, database 632, media server 634, call handler636, and service manager server 638. In some embodiments, TSP system 620can include fewer or additional types of “server.” Here, “server,”“database,” and “call handler” (collectively, “system components”) areconceptual labels according to functionalities. In implementation,functionalities of these and other system components can be providedusing software (e.g., applications, firmware, or the like), hardware(e.g., circuit boards, computers, physical servers, or the like), or anycombination thereof. For example, web server 630 can providefunctionalities including those provided by communication interface 420(FIG. 4A) to interface with one or more web-based interfaces (e.g.,interface 410 a, FIG. 4A). Database 632 can provide functionalitiesincluding those provided by databases 438 and 440 (FIG. 4A). Mediaserver 634 can provide functionalities relating to audio clips (e.g.,retrieving or presenting interactive voice response (“IVR”) or autoreceptionist), video clips, or other media. Call handler 636 can providefunctionalities including those provided by a call router (i.e., routingcalls according to destinations), communication interface 446 (FIG. 4A),and/or communication interface 421 (FIG. 4B). Service manager server 638can provide functionalities including those provided by one or more ofthe following: interface logic 422 (FIG. 4A), provisioning manager 432(FIG. 4A), configuration manager 433 (FIG. 4A), activation manager 434(FIG. 4A), and test/validation manager 436 (FIG. 4A).

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary computer system suitable for activatingtelecommunications services, according to at least one embodiment of theinvention. In some examples, computer system 700 can be used toimplement computer programs, applications, methods, processes, or othersoftware to perform the above-described techniques and to realize thestructures described herein. Computer system 700 includes a bus 702 orother communication mechanism for communicating information, whichinterconnects subsystems and devices, such as a processor 704, a systemmemory (“memory”) 706, a storage device 708 (e.g., ROM), a disk drive710 (e.g., magnetic or optical), a communication interface 712 (e.g.,modem or Ethernet card), a display 714 (e.g., CRT or LCD), an inputdevice 716 (e.g., keyboard), and a pointer cursor control 718 (e.g.,mouse or trackball). In one embodiment, pointer cursor control 718invokes one or more commands that, at least in part, modify the rulesstored, for example in memory 706, to define services configuration fortelecommunications service activation. According to some examples,computer system 706 performs specific operations in which processor 704executes one or more sequences of one or more instructions stored insystem memory 706. Such instructions can be read into system memory 706from another computer readable medium, such as static storage device 708or disk drive 710. In some examples, hard-wired circuitry can be used inplace of or in combination with software instructions forimplementation. In the example shown, system memory 706 includes modulesof executable instructions for implementing an operation system (“O/S”)732, and an application 736, which can be host, server, or webservices-based, as well as distributed (i.e., enterprise). In someembodiments, application 736 can implement application programminginterface (“API”) 738, and/or other programs, procedures or the like.Further, application 736 can include a module of executable instructionsfor implementing a provision module 740, as well as modules ofexecutable instructions for implementing a configuration module 742 andan activation module 744. Provision module 740 includes instructions forprovisioning a user account and its configuration data. In some cases,provision module 740 can include instructions for associatingidentifiers for accessing telecommunications services to user IDs (e.g.,customer telephone number or alternative addresses). Configurationmodule 742 includes instructions for creating services configurations orconfiguring telecommunications services. Activation module 744 includesinstructions for activating user accounts or telecommunicationsservices.

The term “computer readable medium” refers, at least in one embodiment,to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processor704 for execution. Such a medium can take many forms, including but notlimited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks,such as disk drive 710. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such assystem memory 706. Transmission media includes coaxial cables, copperwire, and fiber optics, including wires that comprise bus 702.Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves,such as those generated during radio wave and infrared datacommunications.

Common forms of computer readable media includes, for example, floppydisk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magneticmedium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, anyother physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM,FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, electromagneticwaveforms, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

In some examples, execution of the sequences of instructions can beperformed by a single computer system 700. According to some examples,two or more computer systems 700 coupled by communication link 720(e.g., LAN, PSTN, or wireless network) can perform the sequence ofinstructions in coordination with one another. Computer system 700interacts with network 724 and networked devices 726 via communicationlink 720. Computer system 700 can transmit and receive messages, data,and instructions, including program code (i.e., application code)through communication link 720 and communication interface 712. Receivedprogram code can be executed by processor 704 as it is received, and/orstored in disk drive 710, or other non-volatile storage for laterexecution. In one embodiment, system 700 is implemented as a hand-helddevice. But in other embodiments, system 700 can be implemented as apersonal computer (i.e., a desktop computer) or any other computingdevice. In at least one embodiment, any of the above-described deliverysystems can be implemented as a single system 700 or can implemented ina distributed architecture including multiple systems 700.

In view of the foregoing, examples of a real-time telecommunicationsservices activation are described. Telecommunications service providersystems can be implemented using real-time interfaces that areconfigured to control and manage communication dynamically over an IPnetwork a PSTN network, or any other communications network.

In at least some of the embodiments of the invention, the structuresand/or functions of any of the above-described interfaces and panels canbe implemented in software, hardware, firmware, circuitry, or acombination thereof. Note that the structures and constituent elementsshown throughout, as well as their functionality, can be aggregated withone or more other structures or elements.

Alternatively, the elements and their functionality can be subdividedinto constituent sub-elements, if any. As software, the above-describeddescribed techniques can be implemented using various types ofprogramming or formatting languages, frameworks, syntax, applications,protocols, objects, or techniques, including C, Objective C, C++, C#,Flex™, Fireworks®, Java™, Javascript™, AJAX, COBOL, Fortran, ADA, XML,HTML, DHTML, XHTML, HTTP, XMPP, and others. These can be varied and arenot limited to the examples or descriptions provided.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that specificdetails are not required in order to practice the invention. In fact,this description should not be read to limit any feature or aspect ofthe present invention to any embodiment; rather features and aspects ofone embodiment can readily be interchanged with other embodiments.

Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of theinvention are presented for purposes of illustration and description.They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise forms disclosed; many alternatives, modifications, equivalents,and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. For thepurpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technicalfields related to the embodiments has not been described in detail toavoid unnecessarily obscuring the description. Thus, the variousembodiments can be modified within the scope and equivalents of theappended claims. Further, the embodiments were chosen and described inorder to best explain the principles of the invention and its practicalapplications; they thereby enable others skilled in the art to bestutilize the invention and various embodiments with various modificationsas are suited to the particular use contemplated. Notably, not everybenefit described herein need be realized by each embodiment of thepresent invention; rather any specific embodiment may provide one ormore of the advantages discussed above. In the claims, elements and/oroperations do not imply any particular order of operation, unlessexplicitly stated in the claims. It is intended that the followingclaims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for activating telecommunicationsservices, comprising: prior to receiving a request to activate a subsetof private branch exchange (“PBX”) telecommunication services: creating,in a telecommunications service provider (“TSP”) system including one ormore processors and one or more storage devices, an unassociated PBXuser account that is unassociated with any PBX user, the unassociatedPBX user account being configured with the subset of PBXtelecommunications services; and assigning a system telephone number tothe unassociated PBX user account for accessing the subset of PBXtelecommunications services; providing an activation user interface forpresentation to a PBX user on a mobile device over a communicationnetwork; while maintaining presentation of the activation user interfaceto the PBX user and without transitioning to a different user interfacebeing presented to the PBX user: receiving, in the TSP system and overthe communication network, the request to activate the subset of PBXtelecommunications services from the PBX user through the userinterface, the request including a PBX user telephone number submittedthrough the user interface to facilitate the activation of the subset ofthe PBX telecommunications services and identifying the subset of PBXtelecommunication services; and in response to receiving the request toactivate the identified subset of PBX telecommunications services,automatically activating, by the TSP system, the unassociated PBX useraccount to form an associated PBX user account comprising binding thePBX user telephone number submitted through the user interface to thesystem telephone number; and after automatically activating theunassociated PBX user account to form the associated PBX user account,enabling the PBX user to use the subset of PBX telecommunicationsservices to communicate over the communication network using the mobiledevice.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: generating a callto a communication device associated with the PBX user telephone numberto confirm activating the subset of PBX telecommunications services. 3.The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving the request toactivate the subset of telecommunications services and the PBX usertelephone number as a single submission of data; and activating the PBXuser account responsive to the single submission.
 4. The method of claim1 further comprising: detecting a request call destined to the systemtelephone number, the request call being associated with the PBX usertelephone number; and accessing call data associated with the requestcall to obtain the PBX user telephone number.
 5. The method of claim 4further comprising: accessing other call data associated with therequest call to obtain a text string associated with the PBX usertelephone number; associating the text string with the subset of PBXtelecommunications services; converting the text string to sound datarepresenting a name; and inserting the sound data into data representinga voicemail greeting associated with the system telephone number.
 6. Themethod of claim 1 wherein receiving the request comprises: presentingthe system telephone number in the activation user interface; presentingin the activation user interface a field to accept the PBX usertelephone number; and associating the PBX user telephone number with thesystem telephone number to form the associated user account with the PBXuser telephone number.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein presenting thefield is simultaneous to presenting the system telephone number.
 8. Themethod of claim 1 wherein activating the PBX user account comprises:forwarding a call destined to the system telephone number to the PBXuser telephone number along with caller data.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein receiving the request further comprises: receiving datarepresenting an alternate address; and associating the data representingthe alternate address with an extension.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein forming the associated PBX user account includes downloading anexecutable instruction to a mobile phone associated with the PBX usertelephone number for communicating with the TSP system to enable accessby the mobile phone to the subset of telecommunications services.
 11. Asystem comprising one or more computers and one or more storage devicesstoring instructions that when executed by the one or more computerscause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising: priorto receiving a request to activate a subset of private branch exchange(“PBX”) telecommunication services: creating, in a telecommunicationsservice provider (“TSP”) system including one or more processors and oneor more storage devices, an unassociated PBX user account that isunassociated with any PBX user, the unassociated PBX user account beingconfigured with the subset of PBX telecommunications services; andassigning a system telephone number to the unassociated PBX user accountfor accessing the subset of PBX telecommunications services; providingan activation user interface for presentation to a PBX user on a mobiledevice over a communication network; while maintaining presentation ofthe activation user interface to the PBX user and without transitioningto a different user interface being presented to the PBX user:receiving, in the TSP system and over the communication network, therequest to activate the subset of PBX telecommunications services fromthe PBX user through the user interface, the request including a PBXuser telephone number submitted through the user interface to facilitatethe activation of the subset of the PBX telecommunications services andidentifying the subset of PBX telecommunication services; and inresponse to receiving the request to activate the identified subset ofPBX telecommunications services, automatically activating, by the TSPsystem, the unassociated PBX user account to form an associated PBX useraccount comprising binding the PBX user telephone number submittedthrough the user interface to the system telephone number; and afterautomatically activating the unassociated PBX user account to form theassociated PBX user account, enabling the PBX user to use the subset ofPBX telecommunications services to communicate over the communicationnetwork using the mobile device.
 12. The system of claim 11, theoperations further comprising: generating a call to a communicationdevice associated with the PBX user telephone number to confirmactivating the subset of PBX telecommunications services.
 13. The systemof claim 11, the operations further comprising: receiving the request toactivate the subset of telecommunications services and the PBX usertelephone number as a single submission of data; and activating the PBXuser account responsive to the single submission.
 14. The system ofclaim 11, the operations further comprising: detecting a request calldestined to the system telephone number, the request call beingassociated with the PBX user telephone number; and accessing call dataassociated with the request call to obtain the PBX user telephonenumber.
 15. The system of claim 14, the operations further comprising:accessing other call data associated with the request call to obtain atext string associated with the PBX user telephone number; associatingthe text string with the subset of PBX telecommunications services;converting the text string to sound data representing a name; andinserting the sound data into data representing a voicemail greetingassociated with the system telephone number.
 16. The system of claim 11,wherein receiving the request comprises: presenting the system telephonenumber in the activation user interface; presenting in the activationuser interface a field to accept the PBX user telephone number; andassociating the PBX user telephone number with the system telephonenumber to form the associated user account with the PBX user telephonenumber.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein presenting the field issimultaneous to presenting the system telephone number.
 18. The systemof claim 11, wherein activating the PBX user account comprises:forwarding a call destined to the system telephone number to the PBXuser telephone number along with caller data.
 19. The system of claim11, wherein receiving the request further comprises: receiving datarepresenting an alternate address; and associating the data representingthe alternate address with an extension.
 20. The system of claim 11,wherein forming the associated PBX user account includes downloading anexecutable instruction to a mobile phone associated with the PBX usertelephone number for communicating with the TSP system to enable accessby the mobile phone to the subset of telecommunications services. 21.One or more non-transitory computer storage media storing instructionsthat when executed by one or more computers cause the one or morecomputers to perform operations comprising: prior to receiving a requestto activate a subset of private branch exchange (“PBX”)telecommunication services: creating, in a telecommunications serviceprovider (“TSP”) system including one or more processors and one or morestorage devices, an unassociated PBX user account that is unassociatedwith any PBX user, the unassociated PBX user account being configuredwith the subset of PBX telecommunications services; and assigning asystem telephone number to the unassociated PBX user account foraccessing the subset of PBX telecommunications services; providing anactivation user interface for presentation to a PBX user on a mobiledevice over a communication network; while maintaining presentation ofthe activation user interface to the PBX user and without transitioningto a different user interface being presented to the PBX user:receiving, in the TSP system and over the communication network, therequest to activate the subset of PBX telecommunications services fromthe PBX user through the user interface, the request including a PBXuser telephone number submitted through the user interface to facilitatethe activation of the subset of the PBX telecommunications services andidentifying the subset of PBX telecommunication services; and inresponse to receiving the request to activate the identified subset ofPBX telecommunications services, automatically activating, by the TSPsystem, the unassociated PBX user account to form an associated PBX useraccount comprising binding the PBX user telephone number submittedthrough the user interface to the system telephone number; and afterautomatically activating the unassociated PBX user account to form theassociated PBX user account, enabling the PBX user to use the subset ofPBX telecommunications services to communicate over the communicationnetwork using the mobile device.
 22. The non-transitory computer storagemedia of claim 21, the operations further comprising: generating a callto a communication device associated with the PBX user telephone numberto confirm activating the subset of PBX telecommunications services. 23.The non-transitory computer storage media of claim 21, the operationsfurther comprising: receiving the request to activate the subset oftelecommunications services and the PBX user telephone number as asingle submission of data; and activating the PBX user accountresponsive to the single submission.